Ford, GM Team Up on Transmissions

General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are preparing to jointly develop nine- and 10-speed vehicle transmissions to help them meet future fuel economy standards. Although neither has yet made a formal announcement, the two automotive giants have signed a memorandum of understanding that would enable them to work cooperatively on transmissions that might be ready for production as early as 2015.

"We think they will be phased in from 2015 to 2017 across Ford's and GM's product lineups," Mike Omotoso, senior manager of global powertrain for LMC Automotive US Inc., said in an interview.

The joint development effort would be a big step forward for both companies, neither of which currently offers more than six speeds in a production vehicle. GM has been building eight-speed automatic transmissions at its assembly plant in Toldeo, Ohio, but none of those transmissions are yet offered in current vehicles. In contrast, selected BMW, Audi, and Lexus vehicles already feature eight-speed automatics.

General Motors currently builds eight-speed automatics at its assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio. The new agreement will enable them to build nine- and 10-speed transmissions. (Source: General Motors)

Omotoso said that migrating from a six-speed to a nine- or 10-speed could improve fuel economy by approximately 10 percent, and maybe more in larger vehicles. "Everything will get a boost," he told us. "But the big improvements will be in the larger vehicles that tend to use rear-wheel drive."

The fuel economy improvements will be critical as automakers move toward new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards of 35.5mpg by 2016 and 54.5mpg by 2025.

"With CAFE challenges ahead of us, all automakers are looking at ways to actively and aggressively improve fuel economy," Dan Flores, manager of powertrain communications for GM, said. Flores did not confirm details of the agreement, but did acknowledge that a memorandum of understanding had been signed by the two companies.

Omotoso added that he expects GM and Ford to use the new transmissions in vehicles that currently employ six-speed units. Those include the Chevy Malibu and Cruze, Ford Taurus, and Explorer, Cadillac CTS and ATS, and Lincoln MKZ. GM and Ford declined to comment on the models, however. Both companies said they would release more information when they make a formal announcement in the coming weeks.

The collaboration is not the first between Ford and GM. The two teamed up on six-speed automatics for larger cars a decade ago, and then cooperated again on six-speed automatics for smaller vehicles four years ago. By moving to nine- and 10-speed products this time, Ford will leapfrog eight-speed technology. "If you have six speeds now and you see the industry moving to greater than eight, why would you develop an eight-speed?" Ford spokesman Richard Truett said. "You'd just have to replace it anyway."

Industry experts said the new transmissions represent just one ingredient in the fuel economy recipe. Others include engines, tires, body materials, wiring, and hybrid systems. "Even before 2025, they still have to hit the 2016 standard and that's going to be hard," Omotoso said. "It's going to take a big portfolio of technologies to get there."

Ggarnier: Here's a follow-up to my comment above. GM's answer to your question about how the 8-speed will be used: "We have not yet announced what products will get the 8-speed, Toledo-built transmission."

GM's eight-speed transmissions are being developed for production vehicles, Ggarnier. The company invested $204 million in the Toledo plant where they're being built. As of now, I don't believe GM has said which vehicles will use the eight-speed, and when they will appear (we've e-mailed GM to double-check for you). Reports from various news organizations have speculated that the eight-speeds will be used full-sized pickups and SUVs, with possible launch in early 2013. My guess is we'll hear more about it at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

I hear that the Ford CV transmission was dropped because of business concerns. The transmission was expensive, it couldn't handle the torque of the newer engine that was planned, and people didn't like the way it behaved. Drivers are used to a certain cadence of sounds and the CV doesn't produce the same sound and feel that people were comfortable with.

Just the same, I'm sure the top reason was the cost compared to the six-speed.

Just about every hybrid being produced today has a CVT along with cars from Audi, Suburu, Nissan, and Mitsuibishi, to name a few more. One plus for the CVT in slightly better fuel economy than with a "normal" automatic.

@TJ: Still think it's necessary since there is no way there will be a singular shift to pure electric even with stable and formidible battery technology. There definitely still needs to be choice and this type of intra-industry sharing of R&D makes perfect sense in terms of bettering the choices.

@TJ: Still think it's necessary since there is no way there will be a singular shift to pure electric even with stable and formidible battery technology. There definitely still needs to be choice and this type of intra-industry sharing of R&D makes perfect sense in terms of bettering the choices.

A higher speed count means better mileage - ok, I save some money on gas. What other cost ramifications will impact us? How much more will the transmissions cost - how much will they add to the sticker price?

How much more likely will they be to fail, and what cost to repair?

If we can get to all-electric vehicles (darn battery storage!) then this wouldn't be necessary; variable frequency drives give the infinitely adjustable speed control.

You're right, Chuck, there is a long history of automakers sharing technology developments. Automakers also share lobbying efforts. While it may seem odd -- or collusive -- for competitors to share development, well, they are under some heavy pressure to deliver the CAFE standards they're facing. I would imagine the government would be supportive of this type of sharing, since it is directly related to heavy government demands.

Industrial workplaces are governed by OSHA rules, but this isn’t to say that rules are always followed. While injuries happen on production floors for a variety of reasons, of the top 10 OSHA rules that are most often ignored in industrial settings, two directly involve machine design: lockout/tagout procedures (LO/TO) and machine guarding.

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